Overcoming Rejection...

OK. The job market still sucks. It shows some signs of life, but it's still very, very tough. And if no one's ever mentioned this to you before, I'm fine being the first: Even when the legal job market is on fire, for the majority of law students, it's still challenging. It's not ever going to be the case that the job market is so good that Skadden Arps throws the doors open and says, "Aw, prairie s**t, let 'em all in." (Nor, might I add, would that be a GOOD thing).

Rejection is so common in law school job searching that I put a whole chapter about it in my book "Guerrilla Tactics For Getting The Legal Job Of Your Dreams." In essence, it's important to remember:

1. Employers make decisions on very skimpy information: a one page resume,a twenty minute interview. They're guessing and they know mistakes are made,that they miss good people - like you. If you want them to regret it, go out and be successful in spite of them.

2. Don't assume that they hate you, there's something wrong with you, that you'll never get a job. Rejection has no predictive value. Your next job could come through the next person you seek out.

I could go on and on, but remember: Nobody's watching. Nobody cares what you do to start your career. And nobody cares that you didn't start out on top.

Just ask the kid who came in fifth place in his first talent show, at the 1945 Alabama State Fair. He was disappointed not to win, because first place earned a bike as a prize.

Nobody remembers who came in first, but everybody knows Mr. Fifth Place:

Elvis Presley.